Have I really been doing this series for almost seven years, and this is the first album I've covered by alt-pop royalty XTC? Is it just that it took me that long to really start digging around in the XYZ section of the stacks? Whatever the reason, I'm glad I'm finally correcting this egregious oversight.XTC is one of those bands that it seems to be impossible not to love. Even Oranges & Lemons, the album that, according to the esteemed music nerds at Sound Opinions, broke their almost-double-grand-slam run of seven great albums, was almost universally beloved by the KCMU elite (well, there's always that one guy). 25 years later, it's still widely revered; its only failing, perhaps, being to come after a run of seven even more flawless creations. There are worse problems to have, I suppose.
"Another dose of fine popsongs from one of the decade's [finest? Looks like "Priest," but that doesn't make any sense] bands. Not as pastoral as Skylarking, but chunkier and louder, like Big Express. A great effort.Agreed! Some English Settlement-type rhythms here, as well. Play up!!!"
"Groovy, love it. 2 discs + fruit loops color scheme. What more do you want?"
"'Merely a Man' really hits a good sound. Rock chunk stuff!"
"Too slick for me. Some songs are OK and some suck big time. I'll take Dukes o' Stratosphear over this any time. Get it the heck outta H."
"Definitely fine. Cool beat and drum."
"It seems to me that 'Pink Thing' might be what Andy + wife refer to his dick."
"'Pink Thing' is enough to make my biological clock start ticking."
"That's what I meant!"
"Trivia: Andy & Wife refer to their baby as 'Pink Thing' - jes so's y'all know!"
"Not my cuppa T. M."
"A happy album. A fine album. Incredible lyrics. Fantastic pop. Leave it to languish in H for awhile or I may be forced to get violent - nothing sucks on this album - FYI."
The Wedding Present is one of those bands whose catalog I always found daunting when I browsed the record store bins. So many albums, and singles, and EPs, and Peel sessionses! I ended up just buying Seamonsters and sticking with it, but I knew they had much more to offer. And that was before I hea…
It's nice to pick up a relatively obscure album from the KEXP stacks and discover that it's found a bit of new life in this century. It's not exactly a mysterious discovery along the lines of Light in the Attic's release of L'amour (though I will be looking for a vintage copy of that gem next time …
